Night Reigns by Diane Duvall

Vampires, check. Immortals who aren’t vampires but slay vampires and are bad ass fighters, check. One tough female lead who can slaughter vamps with little effort, check. Romance with a hottie Immortal, check. Yup we are all on board in Night Reigns by Dianne Duvall.

Ami isn’t much for trusting strangers. She has a hard time trusting anyone. But she’s no coward, and she’s no pushover in the protection department either. So when she comes across a mysterious warrior taking on eight deranged vampires on his own, she doesn’t hesitate to save his bacon. Of course, that was before she realized what one little rescue would get her into . . .

Marcus Grayden has been an immortal protector of humanity for eight hundred years, and at the moment he’s not interested in backup. From the moment Ami arrives in his life, he can’t deny that she’s strong, smart, and extremely skilled at watching his back. But she’s also destroying his protective solitude and stirring desires he can’t bear to awaken. After all, whatever her secrets — how can she defeat death itself?

For the majority of Night Reigns, I could not put it down. I was enthralled by this new version/take on vampires. It’s a virus in the Immortal Guardians series, a virus that deteriorates the brain and turns these creatures into loose cannons. The Immortals are gifted ones, people with different markers in their DNA causing them to have special powers, who have caught the same virus except it doesn’t turn them into crazed vampires; it just transforms them into lean mean fighting machines. The Immortals would love to find a cure, but in the meantime, spend their nights destroying the vampires and cleaning up the messes they create. Except now, the vampires are building an army somehow and the shit-ith has hit-ith the fan…ith, to quote a favorite movie of mine. The fight scenes, the gadgets, the security, the characters all had me at hello. Everything is hecka twisted and I loved it!

That is until I got past the middle of Night Reigns and learned what Ami really is. I won’t spoil it, but when it was told I rolled my eyes and almost put the book down for good. Maybe if I’d read the first one I’d have been more prepared for what was coming. I’m all for wild creatures in books, vampires, wereanimals/shifters, faeries, hell unicorns, but I don’t think that you should necessarily throw them all in the same book just because you can (no this isn’t the case, just an example). The particular ‘breed’ Ami comes from is pretty far out there, so much so that I’m wondering if it was one of those ‘well let’s just throw this in because if vampires exist, everything else must too’ moments. Now if there’s a reason explained for this crazy turn of events, like an explanation on where the vampire virus or the gifted ones came from and it ties in nicely with this ‘breed’, then ok (which there is a hint at such a thing), fine I’ll concede that it’s a pretty nifty idea. If not, well then I’m just confused because she does not fit in this world at all and maybe should have been a separate series…which I’d totally read ;).

My other complaint would have to be that Ami and Marcus becomes a couple in a blink of an eye. In two weeks she goes from being scared of new people and skittish to being madly in love with this tall dark stranger who is rumored to be a suicidal maniac. And Marcus goes from almost hating having her around to not wanting her out of his sight…uumm yeah. If this is because of what he is and what she is and their powers making them just ‘know’, ok fine, but still it’s a bit quick and left me not connecting with the relationship at all. Still loved the characters, but their relationship didn’t make me swoon or happy; I questioned it more than anything.

All the complaints aside, I did finish Night Reign after only a few minutes pause and I would recommend it 100%. It really is a fabulous read, one I breezed through far too quickly. I’ll be checking out the first book in the series, as well as keeping tabs on the ones to come.

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SAHM of 2, happily married bookworm, blogger and aspiring author. If I could read/write all day, every day, I would. Luckily I have a very understanding, and patient, husband who lets me get away with it as much as possible. Now if only the kids would understand my obsession, and the house would clean itself, then I'd be all set.